Warm
by kaileytmarie
Summary: Hiro still misses his brother and sometimes the grief is just too much. Thankfully, he has Baymax. And Baymax always knows just what to do.


Warm.

That was the first thing he thought of at the mention of his friend's name. Granted, one didn't typically consider a robot warm… or a friend… but Baymax was different. Any other science nerd at school would argue that he was just a machine with incredibly advanced AI, but Hiro chose to believe that Baymax was special.

It was almost like he had a piece of Tedashi in him. He was kind and caring and always knew just what to do or say to cheer Hiro up. Maybe he really was just a robot, but Hiro would never accept that. Baymax was his best friend.

Cold.

That's how Hiro was feeling. Not only because of the rapidly dropping temperature, the frigid wind and the icy rain that had him soaked to the skin as he stood in the middle of the campus courtyard, but his heart felt cold and lonely. He missed Tedashi.

Everyone thought he was doing better and in some ways he was, but there were still days—mostly nights, really—that he couldn't overcome the grief that tore at his heart. His brother was gone and he wasn't coming back. The guy Hiro had shared his room with for the past eleven years had left him alone.

Well, not completely alone. He had Baymax. But Baymax wasn't Tadashi.

It wasn't fair! First he lost his parents, then his brother and even his robot friend for a while there. He wondered if losing people he loved was just something he would have to get used to. Maybe it was just a curse in his life.

Hiro knew he was feeling sorry for himself, but he didn't care. Sometimes all he wanted to do was allow the grief to swallow him whole, to stand in the freezing rain and lose himself to the darkness of despair. Here in the storm, no one could tell a tear from a raindrop, no one could hear his angry cries over the crashing thunder. Who could tell that his body's trembling was from bitter anguish and not the cold?

His fingers ached, his lips were numb, his cheeks stung, but all of that was moot compared to the pain in his heart.

_Why'd you do it, Tadashi? Why'd you leave me?_

He sank to his rear, pulling his knees close to his chest and burying his face as the pain took over. Cold. He was so cold. The world around him vanished, time stood still. He was alone. He would put on a brave front for his friends, but he would suffer alone.

The rain suddenly stopped hitting him.

Hiro looked up with swollen eyes to see a large, white hand holding an umbrella over his head. Baymax sat down behind him and Hiro leaned into him. He was so warm.

"Your core temperature is low and exposure to harsh weather conditions is hazardous to your health. I must tend to your injuries quickly."

"I don't have any injuries," Hiro mumbled.

Baymax leaned forward. "You are upset," he said plainly.

"Gee, how could you tell?"

"I must tend to your injuries."

Hiro turned to look at his friend's face. "What injuries? I'm fine, Baymax."

"You miss Tadashi."

Hiro froze. He could feel the hurt welling up inside him, like an angry beast clawing at the door of his heart. "I'm fine," he whispered again.

Baymax tilted his head. "Tadashi loved you, Hiro." A screen appeared on his chest, playing video clips of all the times Tadashi would talk about his brother while working on his project.

Hiro felt new tears rolling down his cheeks as he watched. He pressed his head against the robot, shutting his eyes tightly and focusing on the sound of his brother's voice.

The clips played for several minutes and when they ended Hiro felt Baymax's free arm wrap around him, its warmth melting his heart. "Tadashi is here," said the robot. "And so am I."

Hiro curled against Baymax and allowed the floodgates of his heart to burst, knowing that he would be safe in the arms of his friend.

Time passed and the rain began to dissipate. Finally, Hiro wiped his eyes and looked back up at Baymax.

"Have I helped with your injuries?" the robot questioned.

Hiro sniffed. "Yeah, buddy. Thanks."

Baymax blinked. "We should go inside then. Your clothes are wet and the dropping temperature will likely give you more than just the cold that has already compromised your immune system."

Hiro offered him a small smile. "Well, at least I have my own personal healthcare companion to take care of me while I'm sick."

The two rose to their feet and began walking back to the school, back to Hiro's lab where he kept a spare change of clothes in case of emergencies. Hiro was still sad. He still missed his brother. But he wasn't alone. He had Baymax.

The robot put his arm around the boy and pulled him close as they walked.

Hiro didn't feel so cold anymore. Baymax was with him.

And Baymax was very warm.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes. I realize the video thing happened in the movie, but, speaking from experience, watching your lost loved one on screen once is never enough. Sometimes you can just watch the same video clip for hours on end and never get tired of it. I thought it was so beautiful that that scene was put in the movie and I can imagine Hiro asking Baymax to play clips of brothers many, many times throughout his life. :)<strong>


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